Vehicle-wheel.



PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906.

M. H. DE HORA. VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPL-IOATION 11.51) NOV. 16.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

III M P ATENTED NOV; 20, 1906.

M. H. DE HORA.

. VEHICLE WHEEL. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 16, 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

MAN L ER ERA-narrow, or LoN'goon, ENGLAND VEHICLE-WHEEL.

No.836,5'78. I

To all whom it mcty'concermg Be it known that I, MANU L HERRERA DE. HORA, a citizen of the United States of Amen, ica, at present residing at 24 Priory Court Mansions, Mazenodavenue, W est Hampstead, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Be lating to Vehicle-Wheels, of'wh ich the follow ing is a specification. a i

This invention relates to wheels of motorcar s, carts, husses, wagons, and other wheeled vehicles; and it consists of certain'improvements in the same and in their manner of construction, whereby-the vibration or jolt ing due to the roughness ofthe track is absorbed or isolated from the vehicle and at the same time the wheel itself is not only of exceptionally strong construction, butis so designed as to be easily ca able of repair to any part of it whichmay ecome damaged; Moreover,it lends'itself conveniently to the I employment of a double orextra wide tread,

which-will in alarge measure reduce the liability of side slipping or-skidding of the wheels. Cheapness and simplicity are also two important-factors in connection with the improved 'wheeh; Which will run over ohstacles While allowing the body of the vehicle to'continue on its. way with little or no communication of shock. The necessity for pneumatic tires with their heavy expense 1s 4 entirely done away with.

Accordin to the present invention the I spokes of t e wheel are composed of laminatedsteel springs or strips of spring-steel or of any'xother resilient material. These are Ifitted between the nave and rim in such a manner that they have a permanent curvature, such as would be seen in a die-metrical collars B, which. are tnrne'd I I I slightly outward, so' as warm "it-"suitable cross-section view of the wheel. In an elev'a tion or side view of the wheel these spring spokes would appear to oceu y the same positions as ordinary spokes, whether radial or tangential, and these positions would proh-' ably remain 'unv'ariahle, as a rule, althongl'i i do not wish -to exclude spokes of the aforesaid which might'insome-circumstances"; be hinged so. that they oould'swing out of'the radial position when under a strain, should suchhe desirable My invention -provides,'-- essentially, a Wheel in which the spokes themselves spring orbulge'outward or inward (as the case may be) transversely to I Specificationof Lettei's Batenth j npplieationfiled Novemher 16,1905. SerialNo.287,622.

and not the plane of the wheel, suchspokes being hinged or otherwise attached in any convenient manner to the nave and to the rim and affording articular faoilityyfor the huildingof thew reel without special plant .or highly-trainedTla'bor" and-for the speedy exchange of any damaged spokes or repair of any'injured .part or parts of the w eel. It will be possible to dispense with the usual carriage or antivibration-springs, for these are virtually embodied in the special spring-spokes, I which themselves serve the double function of sprin n sted nae. 20,1906,

s; and spokes. A

The construction of the car l consequently be sim ler. I

. In rther describing mys-aidinvention reference will hereinafter-be made to the ac companying drawings, wherein? Q Figure. 1 represents a wheel constructed according to one form'of the invention, the upper half of the figure being a section on 1 line 1 l'of Fig. 2 and the lower half a side elevation. I Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1., the upper half of the'figure being a thin section on the bent line 2' 2 of Fig.1 and the lower half a plan or edge elevation oi'hal'f of the wheel, the rim being in section. :Fig, 3

shows a section across part of a wheelhaving a slightly-modified shape and arrangement of epokes, and Fig. 4 still another modification.

and 6 show further slight modifications;

Accordingto the invention as illustrated 'in Figs. 1 and 2 the have A is provided with es or collars B; These are situated two an a little I I selves an integral part of the nave or an at lstance apart and areeither themtaohm'ent thereon, or one fco'llar' may b made removable. I I I I I the spring-spokes C are"fhetwen the-two he veled The inner extremitiesnf surface to receive the side' pressuraofthe said s okes;

The .latter radiate outward in straig t lines or' nearly strai ht lines fora] short distance-hem the col ars, but their outerends' are'returnedinWard hke a how,

their extremities "heiiig almost horizontal where they are'sefcured t'o'the'rim-ZD, a broad j metal one by preference, "on -whichfmay be;

carried any suitable of tire, although the latter is not indispensable to the'satisfae tory-runn'ing of the wheel; According to the drawings the inner extremities of the "spokes are secured as follows: It may first be clamped around the nave"A (by bolts L- explained that the laser ar eaeh' ccimposed of spring-steel strips in ee laminations C C O, (or mere or-less) the-inner laminations ibeing' successively shorter than the outer ones, but all of them startingv from the nave A. A series of recesses E 'occursin theinner-facesjof thefcollars 13, and the extreme ends of the spokes C, &c'., are bent so- ,as'to enter-these -rec esses.-- They are prevented from escaping by a divided flat ring F,

passed through flanges in the-ring) after the spokes have ring is drawn artly broken in Fig. 1, so as to show the spo ei. 6., the lamination C butting onto the nave A, and one of the spokes is also broken to showone of the recesses E'aforesaid in thecollarB. Nevertheless instead of the mode of attachment just described the inner extremities ofthe spokes may be .bolted to the collars or may be clamped onto short radial arms instead of the collars or, indeed, may be fastened in a variety of ways which need not be here specified. The outer extremities of the spokes are hinged to metal plates Gfeach spoke or lamination (1 being rolled into a s eeve for holding the bin e-pin H and the plates G having knuckles for'receiving the ends of said hinge-pinsH Said plates -G are secured to the inside periphery of the rim D by means of bolts or rivets K, but any other means of fastening may be emplolyed either for said-plates or for the spokes. inand-slot devices may be used for keeping the laminations of the respective spokes close to one another without interferin with their sliding movement. It may not. e necessary in all wheels for the spring-spokes to be composed of laminated strips. In building the wheel the spokes are sprun into position u on the have by any suitable contrivance after being secured to the rim. This will be the wheel, and their more central parts over- "lap one another beyond the center plane of the wheel, being either .bent in this manner when the wheel is constructed or else adapted td do so when subjected to the working load.

In Fig. 4 the spokes areshown not overlapping. In both of these figures it will be seen that'the' shorter laminations of the springspokes have to be on the outside of the wheel een put in their places. This seas-2e The other details of the wheel may be similar to those already described.

QInFigs. 5, and 6 the spring-spokes of a insteadofon the'insidefas in Figs. 1 and 2.

type-similar toFigs. l and ,2ar'e' arranged so as tocross one 'another''that is, the spokes which lead from the off sidefofthe 'rim are 1 fastened to the on sideof then-ave, andvice versa. These spokes may, if. preferred, be of the concave t e. In. some cases a pair of spokes may be ashioned from one length of springy material undivided at the hub or at the rim. The rim may be formed in an suitable Way for running on the road or trac with or without a tire 01 tires. For the spokes it is preferable to use strips which are narrower toward the hub than, toward the rim, as shown. They may-be fastened to the rim D in other we s than those described, as

mentioned alrea y.- The plates G could even be arranged obliquely to the line of the wheel, the spring-spokes in such a case meeting the rim at an anglewhich is not a right angle. Having thus described my said invention,

' 1. In a vehicle-wheel, spokes consisting of curved springs more liable at one end then at the other, means or attaching the stifier,

ends rigidly to the hub, and means for attaching the more pliable ends flexibly to the rim, said spokes being arranged to bend transversely to the plane of the wheel,.substantially as described. 1

2. In a vehicle-wheel, spokes consisting of curved s rings arranged to bend transversely to the p ne of the wheel means for securin their inner ends rigidly to the hub, and hing means for attaching their. outer ends to the rim, substantially as described.

3. In a vehicle-wheel, spokes arrangedto bend transversely to the plane of the wheel,

.a pair of collars on the hub, means for'clamlping the inner ends of said spokes between said collars, and hinged means for attaching their outer ends .to the rim, substantially as described.

v 4. Ina vehicle-wheel, spokes arrangedto bend transversely to the lane of the wheel, a pair of collars on the hub for the purpose of retaining the-inner ends of said spokes, a distance-ring for keeping the latter in position against said collars, and means for attaching the outer ends of said spokes to the wheelrim, substantially as described.

5. In a vehicle wheel, spokes arranged to bend transversely to the plane of the wheel, a pair of collars on the hub, means for clam ing the inner ends, of said spokes between t c said collars, and metal plates on the wheelrim provided with knuckles for enabling the ends of the spokes to be thereby hinged, sub-- stantially as described.

6. In a vehicle-wheel, spokes arrangedto bend transversely to the plane cf the wheel,

tance-ring for keeping-the latterin position 5 a pair of cellars on the hub for the purpose of l In Witness whereof I have hereunto set retaining the inner ends of said spokes, a dis-. my, hand in the presence of two witnesses.

MANUEL HERRERA DE mm.

a ainst said collars, and metal plates on the w eel-rim provided with knuckles for en- Witnesses: abljng the ends of the spokes to be thereby A. L. ANNISON,

hinged, substantially as described. I I F. F. MEADOWS. 

